SecondLIFE Magazine: September 2004

New possibilities in v1.5 


In This Issue:

The Big Story(s)

Twist and Shout: Version 1.5 is Here
Second Life 1.5 has hit the world. Fraught with problems and a bugs it has slowly wobbled unto it’s own two feet.

The new version was plagued by frequent crashes, teleportation problems and dragging lag. Two upgrades later, it now runs more smoothly. MORE...

In Other News

The Golden Lindy
C’mon Second Lifers, who do you love? SecondLIFE Magazine is proud to announce the Golden Lindy award. You, Second Life denizens, will have final say in who will be honored as among the best of the best. MORE...

Welcome to the Club
Club Elite owner Big John Jade is moving the one of the most popular places in Second Life to a new sim. MORE...

Lost in Space
I have left on a voyage to space in Second Life. I am traveling at a rate of nearly 200m per second. MORE...

Second Lifer

On the Lam: Paca Hannibal does hard time in Second
Meet Paca Hannibal, on the run in Second Life. The fact that he does much of his running wearing an orange prison uniform and handcuffs has set him apart from other Second Lifers. MORE...

A Jaded View: Upstart Jade Bard takes a gamble
Meet Jade Bard, scripter of Jaded Cards gaming machines. Jade is the brilliant lady that makes sophisticated gaming machines you might see in Casinos around the world. MORE...

Question Authority

Ancient Knowledge: Archaegeo's university teaches modern skills
Archaegeo Plantini has opened the Ancient Earth University where he teaches a wide curriculum. MORE...

Build Review

Creative Talent: The Vampire Empire Castle
One of the most attractive aspects of SecondLife, to many inhabitants, is the ability to let one’s imagination flow almost limitlessly. With a bit of land and a lot of imagination, we can create anything... MORE...

How To

The Building Series: Part 1
So you have just started in Second Life and you are finding your way around the world, there's alot to take in right? You've checked out the popular picks and visited some events and you are settling down into a routine. Now might be a perfect time to start trying your hand at building some things and see what all the fuss is about. MORE...

Grins, Gripes and Groans

Editor's Desk
I took a break at work to check in on the Second Life forums yesterday. It was Sept. 10, the eve of the three-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed 3,000 lives. The first post I saw was entitled "9/11 -- We Will Never Forget (Patriot Day)." It promised to be a memorial thread. But my, how quickly things can change in the opinionated world of message boards. MORE...

Letter to the editor
In a Foreign Tongue

First of all I must say I am not always able to write something in English. So, please, be understanding and read these scattered Second Life thoughts. MORE...

Dear Avi
Got a nagging question about building, scripting or clothes designing? Not sure how to handle that prickly situation with your neighbor? Or maybe that special Avatar unceremoniously dumped you and you just want to vent? Whether rant or rave, question, answer, advice, comment or just a simple “hello,” Avi wants to hear from you! Email: dearavisl@yahoo.com Click here for this month's questions... MORE...

Newbie 2 Newbie
So, imagine that you are standing on your Second Life front porch torturing prims, when a giant skunk shows up and begins to rez beautiful furniture on your front lawn at the same time that a shirtless, tattooed, pierced guy drops by to discuss Rene Decartes and hyperbolic doubt. MORE...

The Biz
The value of the Linden stayed constant in August and early September, remaining in the $1.40-$1.45 per 250L range. Prices climbed to their current levels in July and show little sign of deflating. MORE...

Classifieds

• Personals
  
• Announcements
  
  Brand New! Laka River Front Market. Get your products sold!
  Laka River Front Market, Laka (129, 91)
  
  Ashburn Horse Races, Every Night at 6PM!
  The Ashburn Races, Jizo (160, 221)
  
  
• Property for Sale
  
• Vehicles for Sale
  
• Objects for Sale
  
  DragonChiq Designs has awesome swords and custom tattoos for sale!
  
  Single Prim Windows and Doors. Visit Jodiette Flower's Store, Ritch (214, 172) and Jodi's #2, Bodega (226, 17)
  
  Customized license plates. All 50 states and Canada. 150L. IM Roxie Marten. Samples available.
  
  
• Other for Sale
  
• Help Wanted
  

Twist and Shout: Version 1.5 is Here

By ROXIE MARTEN
SecondLIFE Magazine

Second Life 1.5 has hit the world. Fraught with problems and a bugs it has slowly wobbled unto it’s own two feet.

"Torus is going to be on crack now," said Linden Lab programmer Don Linden.

The new version was plagued by frequent crashes, teleportation problems and dragging lag. Two upgrades later, it now runs more smoothly.

"Never thought being able to teleport was a big deal until it didn't work. It was like loosing a limb or something," Noonian Bard said.

Others said the new version rendered some previously created items unusable

Cubey Terra of Abbots Aerodrome said a feature involving using the cursor to make items rez faster caused some problems with the vendors some merchants used.

"For some reason they changed how mouse clicks work with transparency," he said. "That broke my vendor which uses a transparent surface between the buyer and the vendor model."

"To buy something from my vendor, the buyer would right-click the transparent surface and "Pay". But now When you right-click, it selects the model inside, which doesn't do anything"

Though many have complained about v1.5 and it’s faults, others, like Jamie Oits of The Learning Center, are less concerned.

"I really feel for the Lindens right now. It’s like having a new born baby with teething problems," he said.

From its shaky start, v1.5 has already evolved. It offers some noticeable improvements from v1.4.

New building features may stand out as an improvement to many. The latest version offers more ways to edit a primative and improves other editing features.

Prims may now be twisted a full 360 degrees in either direction.

"Torus is going to be on crack now," said Linden Lab programmer Don Linden.

On top of that a new prim has been added called circle.

Another new feature is "Live Help" from the menu bar. Clicking on it puts you in touch with real-time help for your problem. The Live Help line is staffed by Second Life residents culled from the mentors pool along with other residents who have been in world at least 90 days and have a clean record with the Lindens.

For more information about being a Live Help staffer http://secondlife.com/livehelp.

If you’re landless, a new feature in the Find tool is for you. It will allow you browse for affordable land that is available to anyone who has not owned land before. This replaces the current land for the landless program.

As in the past, parcels of 512 square meters may be bought for 150L.

With new features added some features have left. No more will the Lindens announce events. In it’s place the events calendar has added a notify feature. You may now select which events you want to know about. When the time for the event arrives, it will offer you the ability to teleport to that event.

Private island owners now can sell or transfer their island to another user for a 100L fee. The fee covers costs incurred by the Linden Labs to make the ownership change.

Private island owners also have more expanded controls on their island.

C’mon Second Lifers, who do you love?

Was it the person who furnished you with a new wardrobe a minute after you first stumbled into the Second Life Welcome Area? Maybe it’s the builder/coder who designed your favorite in-world hot rod. Or perhaps one of the big-hearted educators or philanthropists we’re lucky enough to have.

Chances are, there’s more than one person you greatly admire in Second Life. It’s time they got their due.

SecondLIFE Magazine is proud to announce the Golden Lindy award. You, Second Life denizens, will have final say in who will be honored as among the best of the best.

At the bottom of this magazine note card, you’ll find an item called the Lindy Nomination. I urge you to fill it out and recommend people that you want to see honored. The finalists will be announced next month, and everyone will get a chance to vote.

The categories are:

• Best Builder
  
• Best Clothes Designer
  
• Best Coder
  
• Best Event Host
  
• Best Instructor
  
• Best Place in Second Life
  
• Best Texturer
  
• Favorite Linden
  
• Overall Best Citizen

Welcome to the Club: Club Elite finds a new home

By ROXIE MARTEN
SecondLIFE Magazine

Club Elite owner Big John Jade is moving the one of the most popular places in Second Life to a new sim.

The club had been a long-time feature in the Federal, where some neighbors complained about lag the club generated. Club Elite finds a new home on privately owned Elite Island.

The former site of the club was sold to Anshe Chung for a undisclosed price.

"Just say it was good deal on both," said Big John Jade.




Big John gave several reasons for moving.

"Lag is the No. 1 most reason why we want out of this sim," he said.

Other reasons include more control and a expanded club.

The new sim is Mature with 65,536 square meters of land.

When asked about the new club, Elite club goer Madelyna Bismark said, "I love it." Another club patron, Lexia McCoy, said, "I'm so happy. No lag!"

Lost in Space

By DONNIE DONOVAN
SecondLIFE Magazine

I have left on a voyage to space in Second Life. I am traveling at a rate of nearly 200m per second.

Tools: X-Flight Carbon Rod for quick travel / Location Coordinate Finder

* 30,000-40,000 meters: I notice the map marker began to get larger and larger. Soon I was unable to see a map marker if placed in the sim below my location. If I placed the map marker in the sim in front of me it appeared very close to my avatar and very large.

This may be evidence that this world is round!

* 60,000-80,000 meters: My Avatar is beginning to become erratic, especially the name floating above my head. It looks as though it is boiling with black spots and is fluttering in waves... even when I pause for a break.

* 101,000 meters: I have broken through the atmosphere! Or so I think!

My avatar is now completely apoplectic and it is seeming to get worse... Every object and body part is waving about as though it were in a gas fume.

* 140,000 meters: My Avatar seems to have acquired two names, an identical title is jittering about my stomach as is the one above my head... they seem to trade places every now and then, but at times they both show.

The blue light above is growing brighter.

* 206,000 meters: Things get dark. Everything quite suddenly and somewhat purposefully faded to black. I don’t know if i reached the end of the virtual universe or got sucked inside one of Jeff Lindens black holes to 2035...

* Update: I go back down to see if things will reappear again, to my surprise I must travel 1000 meters down to 205,000 meters high to regain the view of the bright blue space around me. It must be a black hole. At 206,000 meters things fade to black again, right on cue.

* Meters Unknown: My Location Finder has failed and I can not view object properties attached to my avatar. Estimated 244,000 meters high. I am getting bored with the darkness of this virtual universe so I decide to try a little sim crossing action. After a bit of toying with the ants below on my mini-map... I resolve that if I tap the "up" or "down" arrow key in a rhythmic pattern, skipping a half second beat between each tap that I JUMP across a sim! Literally I leap and my AV bounds from border to border.

I could traverse the world in a matter of minutes... or seconds...

The Truth is out there Second Lifers, one day we just might make it to the moon...

On the Lam: Paca Hannibal does hard time in Second

By ROSE KARUNA
SecondLIFE Magazine

Meet Paca Hannibal, on the run in Second Life. The fact that he does much of his running wearing an orange prison uniform and handcuffs has set him apart from other Second Lifers.

Paca first came to my attention after having been spotted by vigilant Second Lifer Aaron Levy who posted his sighting in a thread on the Second Life Forum. Aaron wrote "I fly along the road, pretty high up, and see this little orange dot... still running along the road... For some reason, I still didn't think much of it. I fly 3-4 sims away and decided to fly back home and log off. I'm lower to the ground this time, so here, 4-5 minutes later, I pass this guy STILL RUNNING along the road...




And now I'm closer so I see that ... he's an escape convict wearing prison orange and still in his handcuffs!"

After seeing the picture, I decided I had to meet the man behind the orange suit. I relentlessly hunted him down, which was not any small task, because the man is a master at disguise. Worn down by my repeated IM attacks and baited by my promise of a useful gift – a hacksaw - he finally agreed to grant me an interview.

Q: I thought that your idea was so creative, how did you think of it?
A: There was a law enforcement/jail theme at Phantasie Isle, I DJ there and I wanted something no one else would have but I took it further than other people. This is my Headhunter AV. I’m trying to go for the Shaman look.

Q: How long have you been in SL?
A: About 2 months

Q: It looks like you are really enjoying Second Life?
A: It’s fun, just about the only thing I do on the net now… I never watched much TV anyhow and when I did it was either the History or the Learning Channel. I can't stand not to be interactive or learn something. You think that'd be different for a guy rough around the edges like me.

Q: So how did you come to be running from the law in Second Life?
A: I was playing around trying to liven things up. I did that two nights in a row.

Q: Perhaps next time you should hook up with "Clarice"?
A: Well I didn't want to copy Hannibal Lector too much, I like to do my own thing.

Q: You have to admit, he was a cool character though.
A: and he showed that even cannibalistic and dangerous people can have a soft/good side … I was even iffy about going through PG sims with my inmate AV, so I hurried through those and tried to stick to the mature sims. That’s where that guy got pics of me, at an old friend's house in Lie near where I used to live.

Q: So what do you do in SL when you aren’t running from the law?
A: I DJ for Phantasie Isle Radio. I also used to work as a bouncer, but I got tired of it, it was too much like babysitting. I used to be a SLB boxer too. I might get back into that, the owner talks about a comeback.

Q: Interesting... did you use poser for the moves?
A: No, the owner used scripted gloves.

When I teleport into Paca’s house, I’m presented with a great build and a very refined living room where a piano sits at the center. Paca said he doesn’t play piano in real life, but he knows some fingering from lessons taken as a child.

"I took lessons as a kid and my grandmother always played," he said. "I love music, I'm a mature lyricist and vocalist actually."

So here it is, a softer side to the prisoner in orange. In fact, I couldn’t imagine this bright, creative Second Lifer every really wearing prison orange in his lifetime.

If you want to learn more about Paca, he has a website at: http://www.thepaca.com.

A Jaded View: Upstart Jade Bard takes a gamble

By AURA LILY
SecondLIFE Magazine

Meet Jade Bard, scripter of Jaded Cards gaming machines. Jade is the brilliant lady that makes sophisticated gaming machines you might see in Casinos around the world. She is new to Second Life but has mastered in a short time what many of us baffling at best. When asked if she would call herself an "Uber Geekess" she modestly replied that she is not and that during summer she has a lot of time on her hands.

A background in VB6 and Java programming has helped her become competent in LSL. She did mention ease of use and debugging capabilities of VB6 are perhaps one of the missing components of LSL. As she put it; "LSL debugging is just like Java's debugging, it's a pain the ass, I mean usually its okay, but sometimes I will sit and look at code for HOURS to realize I
messed up ONE LINE!"




Jade is very modest about her abilities claiming her gaming scripts are not that complicated. However, her ability to stick to it and make even seemingly insurmountable bugs vanish is admirable.

The gambling machine script business has been successful during the past month netting over 25k from her single handed efforts. This is a marvel in that her scripts are considerably less expensive than her competitors with Free Upgrades, Free Servicing, and Free Suggesting.

Asked if the casino games are crooked (rigged for the house to win). She responded with a laugh and an adamant "NOT MINE!"

She did indicate that some may do this but if you see the creator name Jade Bard on the game you can be assured it is a good machine.

Ancient Knowledge: Archaegeo's university teaches modern skills

By Emmy Guillaume
SecondLIFE Magazine

One of Second Life's newest residents is also one of it's most helpful.

Although he's only been in world for 17 days, at this writing, Archaegeo Plantini has opened the Ancient Earth University where he teaches a wide curriculum. Classes range from Second Life Basics - how to buy land, how to understand the US Dollar/ Linden currency exchange and how to find your unique 'niche' in-world - to Basic and Advanced Scripting. Additional classes are being planned and new courses added on a constant basis.

I was able to catch Archaegeo in one of his rare spare moments to ask him a few questions:

EG: Hi Arc..thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me about your new endeavor.

Archaegeo Platini: No problem Emmy, glad to chat.

EG: You have had quite a few students take your courses, even in the short time you have been here. All have commented about the courses you are offering, positively, I might add. Tell me what gave you the idea for your University?

Archaegeo Platini: Well, in the First Life, I’m a curriculum developer and instructor for the US Navy, and its something I love doing. So when I was looking for my niche here, it seemed to fit. Also i noticed that many of the courses were not quite as in depth as they could be, so I sought to offer an alternative, more real world like course.

EG: Your University has an unusual name. What was the etiology of it?

Archaegeo Platini: My name actually. If you do a Google seach, any Archaegeo hits you get are me, 99 times out of 100. I coined the world from Archae and Geo. "Ancient Earth".

EG: Why that name?

Archaegeo Platini: Ahh, old MMORPGs. Needed a new handle to go by, and while playing one of them, think it was one of my many times I quit playing EverQuest, I came up with it. Or maybe it was Anarchy Online, or maybe Asheron's Call.

But its claim to fame is some work I did for Neverwinter Nights for Bioware.

EG: Which was.......?

Archaegeo Platini: Oh, I was the creator and project lead for a modification called the HardCore Ruleset, or HCR.

Bioware sent me some nice thank you gifts, seemed it helped sell the game some. It was mostly a scripting thing, in NWN's scripting language, which bears similarity to LSL

EG: What is your vision for this place in the coming weeks and months?

Archaegeo Platini: Well, I have 2 Fundamentals courses active now, Basic Economics and Basic Land. Those courses are what I call 000 level courses. I teach them for free, well, donations are nice, and plan to add some more. I have also started my professional level courses with AEC-101, Understanding 3D Space, and AES-101, Fundamental Scripting in LSL. I'm pleased that both have had great reviews

EG: People who have taken these courses have said they are most helpful

Archaegeo Platini: Thanks Emmy, I hope so, that’s my real goal. Even though I charge for the 100+ level courses, its a minimum fee, 100L for the 101 courses, and my real goal is to help folks learn the skills they need to accomplish their goals in SL

So I hope to go on with the 200 level courses and above, plus I somehow ended up with 1/8th a sim, so need to expand my interests that way too

You: What is your teaching philosophy?

Archaegeo Platini: Hmmm.....

I believe in the welfare and well-being of my students. In the Real World, that means making sure they have a place to stay when they come to school, know where to find the things they need, so that there is nothing to stand in the way of them having a great learning environment. Here in Second Life its much the same. I want to make sure the learning environment at Ancient Earth support my students needs.

I also tend to not tolerate interruptions too well, so it helps the students better pay attention to the course materials.

EG: Have you had much of that since you've been here? The interruptions?

Archaegeo Platini: A few, but the nice thing about teaching on my own land is I can handle any griefers with a minimum of effort, that and the Community Standards generally makes it so most folks understand when you ask them to play nicer :)

EG: What would you like any prospective students to know about your University?

Archaegeo Platini: That courses are built to support the future courses in the series So that if they start with the 101 in a series, they can count on getting the knowledge they need to
progress through the series of their choice.

EG: How is the University doing so far?

Archaegeo Platini: Its gotten off to a good start, the students seem to really like it, and I think I’m
getting some good word of mouth.

But I teach whether I have 10 students or 2. It the passing of the knowledge and the "Ah-ha!" effect I love.

As this article was going to press, the Ancient Earth University moved its location from Dosanji to Sedig, where Archaegeo hopes to have a better technical learning environment for his students.

Come by the University and take some time to visit. Grab a course catalog and get on the road to understanding Second Life on better footing. It's well worth it.

Creative Talent: The Vampire Empire Castle

by CYDONIA LLEWELYN
SecondLIFE Magazine

One of the most attractive aspects of SecondLife, to many inhabitants, is the ability to let one’s imagination flow almost limitlessly. With a bit of land and a lot of imagination, we can create anything from tiny shanties surrounded by trees to vast skyscrapers that recreate things we know and love in our “first lives”. It is worth taking time to take a look at what can be done with a little time, effort (and a lot of “prims*”).

Obscuro Valkryie, with the help of his friends and group members, had created what was one of the most beautiful castles in SecondLife, known as the Vampire Empire. At the time of writing this article, he is in the process of moving this fantastic build to his very own island. Prior to this move, it was located in the sim known as Io, and it was an impressive and expansive building.




Taking up 43,920 square meters of the sim, Obscuro created a beautiful gothic castle which included one main hall, two wings, a casino/lounge and an adjoining shop. To reach the castle, visitors would walk over a long bridge and pass by a small, frightful funeral procession. A warning, perhaps, of what could be expected inside the castle gates. Opening the front doors, guests would be greeted by a very eerie voice, “Welcome foolish mortals!” followed by laughter that could send shivers down your spine.

Exploring the Vampire Empire was an adventure unto itself, as there was much to admire and take in. Detail is one of Obscuro’s greatest talents, and this highly creative builder spared nothing. In fact, with over 11,000 prim* to work with, he had the room to do it in! Each room was set up beautifully with detailed wood and brick textures to give it the feel that you were really in an ancient gothic castle. The furniture also stuck to the theme, most items being textured in velvets, silks and other decadent fabrics.




Rooms included a courtyard, libraries and lounges, a meeting room complete with Tarot cards, a private suite with jacuzzi, a Master bedroom, a research lab, a sparring ring, a tribute to Ancient Egypt, a jail cell, and even secret passages and rooms through-out!




Though dark, with it’s Vampire theme, the castle itself is creepy in a fun way, and definitely an impressive example of what people in SecondLife can accomplish. I am sure that Obscuro’s next project, on the island sim of Transylvania, will be even grander and I look forward to seeing it, and the many other examples of the talent residents of SecondLife have to offer.

*Newbie dictionary: Prim = Primative. Every time you create an object in the world, it takes up a certain number of “prims” (similar to pieces). Each square meter of land has a certain number of prims allotted to it. See How To: Build by James Otis for more info!

The Building Series: Part 1

By Jamie Otis

So you have just started in Second Life and you are finding your way around the world, there's alot to take in right? You've checked out the popular picks and visited some events and you are settling down into a routine. Now might be a perfect time to start trying your hand at building some things and see what all the fuss is about.

Lindens would say that Second Life has built-in powerful, highly flexible building tools, using
geometric primitives and a simple, intuitive interface. But you're thinking great, how do I build
stuff.

Well what is great about the setup in Second Life is that anyone can build anything. The tools at your disposable are quite easy to master and with a bit of practice you will be creating things you only imagined the day before! This article is a on-going one, where we will look at building tips and hints each month. At the end of the series you should have a useful collection of building notes.

So lets start at the beginning and get a little background information...

SL uses geometric primitives (ie. shapes) or as everyone will call them, prims. These are the basic building blocks in SL, almost all objects in Second Life are made from prims.

The land in Second Life has an allocation of prims per parcel/plot, the larger the parcel the more prims you have at your disposable. Basically for ever meter you get 0.228 prims, so on a 512m parcel you would be able to create 117 prims (some urban areas have a slightly different ratio).

OK, how to I learn how to build.

There are many ways to learn how to build in Second Life below are just some of them:

- Visit the Ivory Tower Library of Primatives for an in-world visual building guide, the building guide is split into parts so you can go at your own pace.
- Check the Events listings for building classes, usually under Basic Building or Building 101.
- The Learning Center have course notes on their own building course which offers a step-by guide, written as if you were in the class.
- Visit a sandbox (area for building practice) - you can practice with the building tools, socialize and see what others are making.

Rather than writing a complete guide to building, what we are going to cover are tips and hints to help you with building, so think of these as things to try once you have a seen the basic building ideas.

Snapping a prim to a certain angle when rotating:
===============================
Once you have created your prim, you can move it about under edit by dragging on of the color axes, holding CTRL and SHIFT changes the edit mode from move into resize (you will see the axes change), however what we are going to look at is rotation. You can rotate your prim about the color axes by holding CTRL down and then dragging a color axis.

Here is something to try, with your prim selected and the edit window open, hold CTRL down (so we are in rotate mode), select a color axis and hold the mouse button down.

You'll see that a yellow scaled circle appears around the prim, by moving your mouse pointer to the outer edge of the yellow circle you will see that a line is drawn from the prim to the outside of the circle and that your prim will snap to a marked angle on the yellow scaled circle. Neat huh?

Another rotating tip:
=============
When using the rotate mode under edit, make sure that you always have a color axis (red, green or blue) highlighted before dragging the axis. If you have your mouse over the white part of the rotation axes and hold the mouse and drag, you will be in a free rotation mode, which is rotates your prim in all directions based on the movement of mouse and is, as you can imagine, hard to control :)

Undo:
====
Many people ask, why doesn't CTRL-Z undo work when I'm editing my prims. It does, but here’s the catch, undo (when editing prims) only works when you have the chat window/box closed. D’oh, I hear you say. The undo history for previous undo is around 10 or 11 I believe.

Hopefully this first article has been useful and giving you a taster of what’s to come next month. You now have time to get the basics of building clear before the next issue in October.

I'm usually around one of the TLC areas in Second Life most of time, so why not drop by and say hello.

Jamie Otis signing out.
The Learning Center - Mauve (120, 95)

From the Editor's Desk

I took a break at work to check in on the Second Life forums yesterday. It was Sept. 10, the eve of the three-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that claimed 3,000 lives.

The first post I saw was entitled "9/11 -- We Will Never Forget (Patriot Day)." Off topic for Second Life, but topical as far as the real world is concerned. It promised to be a memorial thread. But my, how quickly things can change in the opinionated world of message boards.

Some quotes:

"It saddens me to see you waste such excellent arguments on someone who has such a fundamental lack of understanding of politics, of patriotism, well, of pretty much everything. He will keep posting the same neo-Republican doublespeak no matter how many times you whack him with a stick."

And

"Nope. Its a Generalization. Hippie. Back to woodstock, I wasn't talking to you."

How sad that a memorial thread could degenerate so fast. But it is hardly suprising.

Will the rest of the world please excuse me while I talk to my fellow Americans? We’re less than two months away from a hotly contested presidential election here, so it’s to be expected that the Second Life forums would reflect the passions of both sides.

But damn, people, do you have to be so nasty about it?

I find it hard to believe that anyone’s mind has ever been changed by reading an Internet bulletin board. I may be wrong, but I certainly have never witness so rare an event.

As long as the Lindens allow it, it is your privelege to snipe at each other over the coming elections on the forums. Maybe it makes you feel good. Maybe it lets of some steam. But it is an exercise in futility.

The world has never been changed by what someone writes to a massive multiplayer online role playing game message board, and it probably never will. But there is something that does work. It’s called voting.

So, release the hounds on the bulletin boards to your hearts content, while hopefully keeping in mind that a living, breathing, feeling person is on the other end of the pipeline reading your words.

Just make sure you do what’s really important and get to the ballot box on Nov. 2.

-- Lorelei Patel

Letter to the editor: In a Foreign Tongue

First of all I must say I am not always able to write something in English. So, please, be understanding and read these scattered Second Life thoughts.

I’ve been playing Second Life from November 2003. It was a challenge. I am not a native English speaker (Italian is my first language), and my English was (and is)... let's say poor. Just enough to be understood almost always or at least often, and good enough to understand people. But it was (and still is) very frustrating.

This is a great handicap in relationships, because it seems that sometimes, when you speak like a 14 years old trying to say understandable things, people tend to get impatient and to go away rather than help. So, when you meet a player that "speaks strange" please think he/she could not be stupid, only give her/him some time to express.

In Second Life I met a huge amount of people from all the world. I am not a racist, so I have not ideas like "French are all OK" or "Americans are all ugly." In effect, I found that professional idiots and very nice people are spread between political borderlines.

-- Jopy Weber

Dear Avi...

From: Betts Hedges

Dear Avi,

I am a new to Second Life and sometimes when I fly into an event my Avatar crashes and then I seem to be stuck in cyber space swimming around. It really looks stupid. Is there anything that I can do about this?

Dear Betts:

The problem you describe seems to occur on occasion when a large number of people meet in one area. If you want to stop the "Air Swimming", I recommend you first toggle "fly" off and on, failing that, log off and then back on again, that seems to solve the problem.

If logging off is an issue, you could always have some fun with it and run one of the many free animation scripts while air swimming, such as the "Blair Head Rotation", "Kick Boxing" or the "Chicken Dance". When you are perched mid air with your head spinning demonically while your limbs kick spasmodically, people will think that you have a new animation script and want a copy. In other words, your AV will be stupidly frozen, but at least it will look cool.

IM me if you decide to do this – I want to watch.

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From: Zaph Zadoq

Dear Avi,

Can I build on my Snow Land while naked? I’m in a mature sim.

Dear Zaph,

Well – first question is: Did you buy good body parts, ‘cause if you didn’t, buddy, put your clothes on please. If you did, umm, IM me.

Just kidding, whether you are in a PG or a Mature sim makes no difference. You may not fly around nude in a public sim. So put your pants on before the cold starts shrinking your build.

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From: Bran Brodie

Dear Avi,

My wife spends so much time in Second Life now, I have to do my own laundry, eat frozen dinners and clean the house myself. Can you recommend a way to re-direct her focus?

Dear Bran,

Well first off, I’d recommend microwaving those frozen dinners before eating them. Regarding re-direction of her focus – well I recommend you buy her an Island. ;-)

Avi’s quote for the day: Warm milk and cookies probably won’t help the situation at all, but a shot of JD might make it look better.

Newbie 2 Newbie – Second Life Social Protocols

By ROSE KARUNA
SecondLIFE Magazine

So, imagine that you are standing on your Second Life front porch torturing prims, when a giant skunk shows up and begins to rez beautiful furniture on your front lawn at the same time that a shirtless, tattooed, pierced guy drops by to discuss Rene Decartes and hyperbolic doubt. Then suddenly, a guy in an orange jump suit wearing handcuffs and the numbers 666 runs into your house.

If your anything like me, you might be wondering … what the heck is the social protocol for this? Hey if I knew the answer to that – this game would begin to bore me.

Nevertheless, I have learned that there are social protocols to be followed, even in Second Life. I discovered this when I was caught working nakies in the garden of my beloved "Land for the Landless" by my sweet but easily embarrassed neighbor, who kindly reminded me that I was in a PG sim. No, I was NOT trying to show off new body parts, things were just really slow and laggy and I wanted to continue building rather than dress. Honest -- although some of the attachments that I have found are pretty cool, but that’s another story for another issue.

Back to social protocols – "bare" in mind, as you walk the paths of the Second Life world, that there are both PG and Mature Sims. The type of Sim that you are in is noted at the top of your screen along with the indicators of what is allowed on the land you are in, such as building, scripting or safety.

Walking naked in either Mature or PG sim is not allowed. Showing up naked and displaying newly purchased body parts (no matter how proud you are of them) at public events, is a violation of the "Terms of Service" agreement and an invitation to be quickly "tossed" from Second Life. If you think that your just going to DIE if you can’t show someone your newly purchased penis immediately, I recommend that you teleport to one of the many clubs that allow this on a mature sim. Just be advised that unwarranted poking anywhere with said body part is in violation and you will probably be tossed if that person reports you. On this note – guys that walk around with their body parts on all the time, loosen the pants! Sheesh!

Another difference between a PG and a Mature sim is the language that you are allowed to use publicly. Just make sure that if you’re having hot Avatar sex you are in IM and not in Chat mode. If not, the entire area will hear your sexual escapades and most likely, you will be tossed. Personally, I’m offended by it simply because usually I’m laughing so hard that I can’t type. Really interferes with my building.

Speaking of big guns – or not, we move on to "safe" and "unsafe" areas in Second Life. When an area is unsafe (meaning that your avatar can be injured or die, a red heart (health indicator) will show at the top of your screen. If your inclination is to jump right into Second Life and on your first day shoot something, well I have just the sim for you. I recommend that you immediately teleport to Jessie (38.145). If you want to experience Avatar death without putting up a fight, I recommend that you teleport to Pomponio (64, 208), either way, you’ll wind up being teleported home sooner or later. Every Avatar should experience death at least once in their Second Life.

That said, please realize that safe land is just that - "safe" and shooting is not allowed. People in Second Life who hold events put a great deal of time, effort and often their own Linden dollars into them and it is the height of rudeness is to show up at an event and shoot the patrons. In addition, it causes a great deal of lag in the area and is disrupting. I should note here that you also risk being suspended or tossed from Second Life for this type of behavior.

The same principal applies for classes that are being held. Mentors and instructors in Second Life dedicate an enormous amount of time to training new people on how to build and script. Shooting, rezing large objects or poking people with your big guns at events which are essentially being held for you (the newbie) are not only rude, but will also get you suspended or tossed. My recommendation is that you holster the newbie gun and hunker down for a class to learn how to build a bigger and better gun and teleport to Jessie, where shooting is not only allowed, it’s encouraged.

Last but not Least, keep Second Life beautiful and remember to clean up after yourself. If you rez an object on land that is not your own, before leaving the premises, pick up the object and put it in your inventory or in the trash. If you crash a vehicle, don’t just walk away, take your wrecked, sorry vehicle with you. Land in Second Life is owned either by the Lindens or individual Second Life Residents. There is no such thing as a "homestead". If you feel the urge to build, do it on sanctioned land (such as a "Sand Box") or with the permission of the owner.

There are a thousand ways that you can offend someone, but hate, murder, theft, liter and mature activity in a non-mature sim seem to be the biggies. My best advice is to think before you act (yes I’m sure you’ve heard it before). Never forget that there is a real person behind the Avatar that you are standing in front of and act accordingly. In other words, "do unto others as you would have done unto you". It’s a good rule – and it works in both lives.

Next Column: Down and Out in Second Life – How to Live in Second Life on a Linden Dollar a Day.

The Biz: Chart

The value of the Linden stayed constant in August and early September, remaining in the $1.40-$1.45 per 250L range. Prices climbed to their current levels in July and show little sign of deflating.

August Chart